Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge
What is the Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge?
The Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge is a global initiative to develop and validate scalable indicators that can identify novelty in research. We are challenging academics, data scientists, researchers, and innovators worldwide to create tools that could reshape how we evaluate novelty and thereby support metascience progress.
The Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge invites individuals or teams who can generate novelty scores for journal publications across a wide range of disciplines.
This global challenge to transform how we measure novelty in research is now accepting entries.
The winner will receive a £300,000 grant to develop or commercialise their winning solution further.
The Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge is open to individuals and teams who have already developed novelty indicators, or who possess the capability to deliver a fully working scalable indicator by 2 February 2026. Anyone with a smart idea and the technical skills required may enter, especially:
- A university team studying metascience and novelty in research
- Postgraduates, PhD candidates and students with relevant experience
- Data scientists and researchers working in bibliometrics, scientometrics, science of science, research on research, metascience, or related fields
- Industry practitioners, non-profit research experts, or commercial entities with expertise in research analytics
To become a challenger, you must enter your Expressions of Interest (EOI) entry by 23:59 (GMT) on 3 November 2025. Successful applicants will be informed that they are an official challenger in mid-November, and will have until 23:59 (GMT) on 2 February 2026 to develop and refine their indicators.
As a challenger, you will contribute to the advancement of metascience, specifically in research assessment and novelty measurement, and connect with leading researchers in metascience and bibliometrics.
The winning team will receive the £300,000 grand prize, along with partnership opportunities to advance their new indicator and the opportunity to contribute to a peer-reviewed publication reporting the various indicators used in the challenge. The challenge results will be publicly announced in April 2026.
